News and views about the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 and other legislation, schemes and policies impacting the Right to Education of India's Children.

Central Advisory Board of Education to discuss guidelines for education council tomorrow

NEW DELHI: Six months after the National Education Commission
appeared to be a done deal, the human resource development ministry is
reworking the mandate of the panel. The guidelines for the third
education commission will be discussed at the meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) at its meeting on April 2.

Human resource development minister
MM Pallam Raju would like to consult CABE, which includes state
representations, on the Education Commission, to improve implementation
of the suggested policy guidelines by the states. "Consulting the states
would ensure better implementation and ensure that their concerns and
vision for the sector is taken on board as well," a senior official
explained.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
had announced the government's plan to set up the third National
Education Commission on August 15, 2011. The terms of reference and
composition of the commission had been prepared during the tenure of
former HRD ministerKapil Sibal. The ministry had suggested that eminent sociologist and Professor Emeritus at the Delhi School of Economics Andre Beteille be asked to head the panel.

Though the commission had been finalised following discussions with the
PMO and the prime minister, a final announcement had not been made.
Shortly after, Sibal moved out of the ministry, leaving the task to his
successor MM Pallam Raju. A senior official said while the Commission's
composition and terms of reference had been worked out and finalised,
Beteille had not been formally approached to head the Commission.

Raju is understood to favour giving the idea of giving the Commission
broad guidelines instead of specific ones-highlighting key areas such as
technology and teachers. The ministry had prepared a 22-point agenda
for the Commission to consider while providing the framework of a
national policy to address the needs and challenges of the education
system in the 21st century.